I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wind driven turbine devices and, more particularly, to a compact wind driven turbine device that combines external and internal airflow to propel the turbine blades in an efficient manner. The turbine system is compact and may be constructed in any desired size. The turbine is designed to power a corresponding electric generator.
II. Related Art
Wind driven generators have been known in the art for some time. Wind driven turbines having rotating enclosures that sense and seek the wind direction and align an enclosure inlet with the prevailing wind direction have also been made. Such devices having housings with internal turbines such that the wind is channeled to drive a turbine rotor which may have a plurality of blades or rotor vanes is also known. Such an arrangement is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,332,352 and 5,447,412 to Lamont which include primary and secondary air inlets and a horizontally mounted squirrel cage turbine device which has a plurality of vertical rotor vanes.
Despite the many varied wind driven turbine devices which have been devised to generate electric power, there remains a need for an inexpensive compact efficient turbine system which has a minimum of moving parts and uses a simplified construction.